Control
2007
***
Director: Anton Corbijn
Cast: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Toby Kebbell, Alexandra Maria Lara, Joe Anderson, Craig Parkinson, James Anthony Pearson, Harry Treadaway
Anton Corbijn's directorial debut is a black and white biopic of Ian Curtis. The story starts in 1975, when he meets his wife and becomes the vocalist of Joy Division, and it ends in his suicide in 1980, just when the band is on the brink of mass popularity. This adaptation of his widow Deborah Curtis' book Touching from a Distance is a moving portrayal of a frail young man who is crippled with depression and epilepsy, and torn between his wife and lover. The film is less successful as a musical biography. The four guys pick up their instruments and magically produce a new and unique sound. However, the actors play the songs for real, which gives them a great sense of rawness and authenticity. Sam Riley gives a strong breakthrough performance as Curtis.
